Okinawa was the first prefecture to get hit with the omicron wave and early signs indicate it may be the first one to emerge on the other side.
After a surge starting around New Year’s that brought the prefecture’s daily case count to a peak of nearly 2,000, new infections have steadily dropped in recent days.
Experts, however, are unsure of when the rest of Japan might follow suit and rising infections in elderly patients in Okinawa could portend an increase in serious cases.